Parental Guidance
by An Emo and A Nerd
Summary: James and Lily are certain they are dead. But as they watch Harry's life through a screen in a room wherever they are, they learn about their son and prepare to help him whenever he will need it most. That is what parents are for, right? Rated T for occasional bad words but nothing terrible, I promise! -Story By Nerd
1. Chapter 1

James smiled at Lily. "Hello."

"James. Look at Harry." She points to the picture in front of them, showing their baby boy in his crib, crying. "He survived."

James inspects his arms, almost as if looking to see if they were still there. "We didn't, I'm guessing?"

Lily purses her lips and shakes her head. "No. I suppose we didn't."

They sit in a heavy silence as they both contemplate being dead, taken from their own world to be dropped in this one.

They both jump as the picture on the wall shows Serverus Snape running toward the house. When he gets inside he ignores Harry and picks up Lily's body, cradling her in his arms.

James attempts to kick the wall. "The toerag, focus on my bloody son!"

Lily smiles. "He is just upset, is all. He will take Harry to Dumbledore. He isn't that stupid."

James's expression lightens when he hears the "that" in Lily's sentance. "We'll see."

When Snape walks out of the house without Harry, James is furious. "Yeah, just leave Harry lying there, you twit! THIS IS WHY YOU NEVER HAD KIDS!"

Lily wants to laugh but is concerned. What if her baby made it all this way to survive Voldemort but dies of neglectment? Then she realizes Dumbledore wouldn't let that happen. He couldn't, for Harry's sake, right?

James and Lily once again sit in silence, staring at their baby. Until James's curiosity gets the better of him. "I wonder if we could move this damn picture? To be focused on another place?"

Lily instantly knows what he is thinking. "James, even if we could make the picture focused on Sirius, we couldn't get a message across to him."

James frowns. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Know what I am thinking."

Lily laughs. "James, we went to school together for seven years! I dated you there, and we got married! I have spent enough time with you to know what you are thinking by now, don't you think?"

James rolls his eyes. "You didn't have to get on your high horse about it!"

Lily laughs again and moves closer to James. "Come on, don't be mad, dear. It looks like we are going to be spending a lot of time here together."

James smiles. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

James leans forward and sofly presses his lips to Lily's. "I hope we get a lot of time to do this."

Lily looks around. "I wonder how we can touch each other? If we died, does this mean we are in heaven? Where is everyone else?"

"You always have been curious, my dear. But we shouldn't think about that. Maybe we are here to watch over Harry. Maybe sometime in his life he will need us. I guess we will have to just wait and see."

Lily looks up at James. "Mighty philosophical there aren't you?"

"Oh, be quiet."

Lily bites her lip. "Well I suppose it could be true. We'll just have to wait and see."

James stands up and walks over to the picture. He touches it, and suddenly the setting is different. Instead of the familiar picture of Harry crying in his crib, staring at the body of Lily, the screen shows Sirius hearing the news in a Patronus from Dumbledore.

His voice says, "Sirius! How could you betray your friends like this? I never thought... They will find you, Sirius. What you planned to happen backfired. Voldemort couldn't kill Harry. I don't know why. But I assure you, I will find you, Sirius. How could you?"

James shakes his head. "No. Sirius would never..."

James and Lily watch as Sirius's face freezes in shock. He stumbles over to his couch and falls into a sitting position. Tears stream down his face. "James... Lily... _Harry_..." He puts his head in his hands. "How could I have let this happen? How..."

James steps back in suprise when Sirius's features turn stony mad.

"Pettigrew." Sirius whispers.

Lily touches the screen and it shows Harry once again.

James whispers, "It wasn't Sirius."

Lily nods slowly. "I know."

"It was... Peter?" It comes out like a question.

Lily closes her eyes and nods again. "I know."

James's hands ball into fists. "That lying prat!"

Lily hugs James. "It will be alright."

James's face whitens. "No, it won't. Dumbledore didn't see what we just saw! He thinks Sirius was the Secret Keeper! He thinks Sirius ratted us out to Voldemort!"

Lily's face goes pale as well. "When really, Sirius must have put Peter in the Secret Keeper position..."

"And we are the only people who know." James finishes.

Lily shakes her head."It will be okay. It will all be okay. It will."

But they both know she is just trying to convince herself.


	2. Chapter 2

James and Lily sat, transfixed by the screen. They watched as Hagrid gingerly picked Harry out of the destroyed house, they watched as Hagrid flew on Sirius' motercycle to meet Dumbledore, they watched Sirius pace around his living room, muttering to himself.

When James and Lily watched, they saw everything happening in normal time. The picture on the screen wasn't fast-forwarded at all. But as James and Lily watched everything that happend for twelve hours, looking back on it they felt like they had only been in this room minutes. It was confusing, yet James and Lily hadn't the mental strength to asess this now. They had one focus: Harry.

They, in fact, had been so busy watching Hagrid fly to Privet Drive that they missed the wizards flocking under the cover of darkness to the nearest wizard pub. As far as they were concerned, it was just a normal day for everyone else. They didn't know that their death was just a rumor, but a strong enough one to make people cry. They only knew that their son was alive, and they would not ask for more.

While Hagrid was flying James and Lily argued over whether bringing Harry to Petunia's was a good idea.

James was quite against this. He continued to repeat, "Why can't Sirius take him?"

And while Lily continued to explain, "Because as of now he is the supposed reason why we are dead," James continued on, "Why can't Remus take him?"

Lily threw her hands up in exasperation. "James! I. Don't. Know! He would hesitate to take Harry, anyway. No, James, not because he doesn't love Harry, because he would worry Harry would be subject to discrimination because Remus is a werewolf! You know how he always is about things like that! We had to convince himself numerous times he wasn't rubbish at Hogwarts, remember?"

And when James continued to persist that there must be another option, Lily finally gave in. "James, I know, okay! I know my sister won't treat him right! I know she holds a grudge against me because I was born the witch and she wasn't! We just have to trust Dumbledore. He knows what he is doing. He knows, James."

And James, like any wise person would, shut up. He knew he had pressed Lily too far, and he was sorry. He let Lily sit with her back to the screen.

"James?" Lily whispered.

"Yes?"

"Do you think Harry will be alright?"

James hugs Lily from behind. "He will be fine. So many people love him. Sirius, Lupin, Dumbledore, Hagrid, and all the members of the Order. He won't go uncared for."

Lily didn't want to stop watching Harry, but she knew she had to check something. "James, can I move the screen's picture? Hagrid must've been driving for hours; look at the way the sun has set and is starting to rise again. Harry hasn't fallen off yet. I think if we stop watching for a minute he will be fine."

James was confused but nodded. Lily walked over and touched the screen. The picture changed to show Dumbledore in the Leaky Cauldron with a group of people whispering in hushed voices. Some were crying, others were looking very confused."

James frowned. "Why are all those people there?"

Lily shushed him. "Dumbledore is about to talk!"

Dumbledore had stood up and walked over to the bar. He faced everyone and said, "I know there are rumors flying about, and I have come to put those rumors to rest. Last night James and Lily Potter were killed trying to protect their son, Harry, from Voldemort."

Several people flinched at the name, and some ignored it. The bar had settled with a heavy dismay.

Dumbledore took a sip of his water. "Voldemort had come to kill Harry. But after he had killed James and Lily, he shot the Killing Curse at Harry, and it..."

Dumbledore looked like he was about to say something, but as he surveyed the people he stopped. Clearly this was important information he wouldn't want falling into the wrong hands.

"It didn't work. He was broken. All I know for sure is that Voldemort could not kill Harry Potter."

A hush fell over the Leaky Cauldron, and then everyone started speaking to the people around them.

"I can't believe it, Lily and James dead!"  
"Oh, my, that poor little baby."  
"Well I do suppose the child will be raised by Dumbledore, right?"  
"Voldemort... gone? After all he has done he is gone just like that?"  
"I don't know whether to mourn or be happy..."

And to everyone's suprise, Tom, the bartender, stood up and quieted everyone. He lifted his glass and said a toast, "To Harry Potter, the boy who lived!"

And as everyone lifted their glasses and toasted Harry, Lily looked at James with tears in her eyes. James smiled at her.

They didn't know it, but this wasn't the only party in Harry's name.


	3. Chapter 3

Fast forward ten years, Lily and James are still in the room. They have never taken their eyes off of Harry. Every day they grow more proud of their son. They occasionally watch Dumbledore, Remus, and sadly, they saw Sirius being dragged to Azkaban.

"Everything perfect on Dudley's birthday. Wonderful. In other words, Harry, you are going to be a servant for the day." James shouts. Every day he gets more and more upset with Petunia.

Lily doesn't recognize her sister. Where has the sweet but jealous sister gone? She is now filled with hate. "James, I swear, if we ever make it out of this room, however this bloody thing works, she is going to pay."

Lily crosses the room to look at the screen. "I can't believe our baby is almost eleven. It seems we've only been here hours, yet..."

James smiles sadly. "I wonder if we would've done things differently... what if we wouldn't have joined the Order? Maybe Harry would still have his parents."

Lily shakes her head. "James, every person who was mudered would've been torture to us! We would've thought it was our fault. I suppose it might've been."

James nods. "You're right. At least we are togeth-. Wait! Did that little brat just get all riled up for not getting more birthday presents! Thirty six! My word, Lily."

Lily laughs. "I can't believe how Petunia raised that boy! After how wonderfully our parents taught us..."

"Take Harry to the bloody zoo, just take him with you!" James cries at the screen. "I am tired of cat pictures! When is Figg going to tell him? She clearly realizes he is supposed to know about us wizards, right?"

"And witches," Lily says, "But I suppose she could be acting on Dumbledore's orders?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Lily, we have watched everything Dumbledore has done."

Lily senses a sour note in his voice, and she wonders if it is about Snape being a double agent because of her. "James, I love you." She reminds him gently.

"And I you." He says.

"James! James! Did you hear that? Harry dreamt about Sisius's motorcycle!"

James beams. "That's m'boy! Suppose his subconsious is trying to show him he is a wizard?"

"Maybe, James. Maybe..."

James and Lily disgustedly watch Dudley and Piers get all of the attention. Until...

"My God, it's a snake! Harry is a Parseltongue!" James almost shrieks.

Lily frowns. "I suppose Dumbledore's theories are correct, then? A part of Voldemort is really inside Harry."

James mock shivers. "Ugh."

Lily sighs. "Harry is going to have a hard time finding out he is a wizard. It'll be a quite nasty shock, I'll say."

James straightens. "He made the glass disappear! Well, I suppose he has proved himself a wizard enough times, now. But still, this is bigger than anything he has done before!"

"It is times like this I wish he was raised with Wizards. He would be so much bettter off." Lily sighs as Vernon and Petunia lock Harry in his closet. "Honestly, how am I related to these monsters?"

"If it makes you feel any better, dear, you are technically only related to one."


End file.
